ASUS VivoTab RT Review
by Vivek Gowri on October 23, 2012 3:01 PM EST- Posted in
- Asus
- Mobile
- Tablets
- Windows RT
- Vivo Tab
Tegra 3 is a pretty known quantity at this point, we’ve seen quite a few tablets and smartphones based on this chip and it’s been quite solid in all of them. Nvidia has done a good job executing with their mobile SoCs, and Microsoft choice of T30 to be the heart of their launch platform is a pretty significant hardware win for Nvidia.
So with that said, how does the Tegra 3-Windows RT combination hold up versus the who’s who of the tablet world today? Well, that’s a bit complicated. As far as Windows RT benchmarks, we’ve got relatively few, so we’ll stick to some of our cross-platform JavaScript benchmarks, all of which happen to be browser-based.
This is important to note, because in Windows 8 and Windows RT, there are of course two browsers. Both run the same IE10 engine, so performance is actually essentially the same - I had some margin of error level differences (~2%) that aren’t really worth reporting in the graphs. Compared to the third generation iPad, performance is a bit low due to to IE10’s JavaScript performance, and the A6X-based fourth generation iPad should only extend that lead (significantly) based on the performance of the A6-based iPhone 5. But trying to make cross-platform performance comparisons are kind of a waste here.
Tegra 3 is fast enough to run Windows RT, but until we get some other comparison points and better ways to benchmark it, there’s not too much else to say here. Tegra 3 is adequate, but anything less and I could see parts of the UI (particularly in the desktop) becoming a drag. But given how well RT runs on quad-core Cortex A9, I’m just eager to see shipping devices with faster SoCs - Krait and Clover Trail in the coming weeks, A15 in the not-too distant future.
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lmcd - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Naw, Windows 8 still isn't interesting to me. Even oddball projects like Plasma Active are more interesting.augiem - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Except I HAVE actually used Windows 8, I do not agree, and its still inappropriate.rahvin - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
I agree it's inappropriate. Calling your readers ignorant is not a way to build trust and I have to say honestly that comment damaged Anandtech's reputation.I'm using Win8 on my home rig and there are things I like about it (some nice performance enhancements) but metro is NOT one of them. Combining touch interface into the desktop was a natural evolution, but what MS did by trying to make one interface work for phones and desktops is going to be a big mistake IMO. Windows 8 is going to be much more hated than the Office Ribbon ever was. The hot corners, full windows start panel and re-emergence of the active desktop it provides are all going to be disastrous IMO.
Regardless of how you feel about Windows8 calling people Ignorant for disliking the UI isn't professional and I normally come to this site for professional well thought out reviews EVEN if I don't agree with the conclusions.
Alexvrb - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
If you treat Modern UI like a fancy start menu, everything is fine. If you obsess about Modern UI and spend long hours glaring at it and muttering curses, then I can see where you might have a problem.Anyway if you're really hardcore into murdering the new start menu, there are options for that too. But you were obviously ignorant of this. Ooops! Was that inappropriate? Want some Pamprin? Ah damn there I go again being inappropriate. Probably not politically correct either.
VivekGowri - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
It's the Metro/Modern user interface, being discussed in the context of using it with a mouse. I don't understand how it doesn't apply, considering this particular tablet is shipped with a keyboard/touchpad attachment.shomizu9 - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
I happen to agree with your opinion in this article Vivek, but augiem has a point - using the "ignorant" comment in your article is pretty unprofessional (i.e. harsh) for someone writing an article/review :-( What about addressing it in a different, less harsh way?VivekGowri - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Yeah, I agree that it sounded a bit harsh in my head too but I was more focused on getting the article out in time rather than worry about that one word. Does "uninformed" sound better?EnzoFX - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
What about the fact that it fills the screen? What if you don't want to lose visibility of windows you have open? That's gotta count for something, no?I myself use other launchers, so I shouldn't be affected =P.
MadMan007 - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
Ignorant *does* mean uninformed, the word 'ignorant' has just gotten twisted by popular culture to be equivalent to 'stupid', which it is not.augiem - Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - link
How about, has a different opinion from. Honestly, the level of superiority on these tech boards is unbelievable.